Ultralow dissipation Josephson transistor

A superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) transistor based on superconducting microcoolers is presented. The proposed four-terminal device consists of a long SNS Josephson junction whose N region is, in addition, symmetrically connected to superconducting reservoirs through tunnel barriers (I). Biasing the SINIS line allows modification of the quasiparticle temperature in the weak link, thus controlling the Josephson current. We show that, in suitable voltage and temperature regimes, large supercurrent enhancements can be achieved with respect to equilibrium, due to electron ``cooling'' generated by the control voltage. The extremely low-power dissipation intrinsic to the structure makes this device relevant for a number of electronic applications. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.